Is an oven really necessary?

[Woodsy]

Any one here tried a solar oven?

[Reality Check]

I've looked at solar ovens and even have downloaded plans for several types... somewhere.... but never have built one.

I started looking at solar when I discovered that operating a Force 10 oven in the West Indies at about anytime of the year makes the cabin unusable for hours... tooooo Hot..

From that I think your location and its weather will determine the suitability of using your galley oven... for me is it also just a storage site now.... but no GPS's!!!! it still gets hot from using the burners on the stove!!!

[Colorado Dreamer]

We do not use our oven at all, or our stove for that matter. It simply makes things too hot below. We have found that the BBQ can cook most things just fine, and we do have a small camp style stove we can set up on deck when we are in port. While making passage, we tend to eat very simply...although 99.9% of the time we simply coastal hop and therefore eat out quite a bit.

I got a "Sport" solar oven from these people: Solar Oven Society
And it seems to work just fine. Cooking time was the hardest thing to figure out, and often we have to put stuff back in over and over. I am sure we will get the hang of it eventually though. If you are a fan of gadgets then they are great, as they seem to require some tinkering to get stuff done. I am sure if I used it more I would be better at it. Good Luck!

[David_Old_Jersey]

I am glad this thread "woke up" - was thinking about this only yesterday........

[Karletto]

we used ovens few times in 10 years only; we didn't sail in marinas -> electric ovens didn't get a chance; usually we had gas ovens aboard but our cook was used to electric ovens so no chances for gas ovens too; pressure cooker was on duty most of the times

[waterworldly]

I have one of these: VINTAGE WEST BEND OVENETTE ALUMINUM BAKER AND ROASTER - eBay (item 110278420078 end time Aug-16-08 12:34:54 PDT) and it works great. Cools fast and doesn't use much fuel.

[Liberty28]

I just installed a Force 10 stove-top cooker in my little cutter. No oven but now I have lots of room for storage (no baking supplies required). They cost a lot less than ovens also and I happen to be poor!

[imagine2frolic]

An oven is not a necessity, but the more you live on the boat like you did on land. The more pleasant it is, and soon you will think of this as your home, and not camping. Camping is only fun for a while, but when cruising take what comforts you can.....................................

[Doghouse]

We did not have one on the 27, so we purchased a coleman propane oven. I stores easily and when you do want to use it, you can cook outside with it! This keeps the boat temp down, and saves you space when you need it

[Aussiesuede]

If you do most of your cruising & living in warmer/tropical climates - you won't miss an oven at all imo. But the best advice was that of "How much do you use an oven now?" If you like to bake and broil, then you'll obviously miss it. If BBQ is your preference, then sayanora oven heat. (Once you get airflow regulation down, you can actually bake a lasagna on a BBQ!)

[speciald@ocens.]

Many power boats such as the Sabreline 42 and East Bay 43 skip the oven but have a convection/microwave. Perhaps one of these would substitute for a gas oven. We rarely use our oven except for storage but use our gas grill frequently. The grill is plumbed to the propane tanks by a high pressure hose which makes it more usable. We also use our pressure cooker often - a cheap Presto not one of those expensive ones they sell at boat shows.

[cabo_sailor]

We love to cook and for us an oven is a necessity. In fact I will be replacing my older model with a newer 3 burner stove with oven. I want a bit bigger oven space if possible and I do miss having a broiler.

Cruising for us will NOT be an extended camping trip.

[rtbates]

gee I hope NOT. Heck we don't use the oven at home very much. In the summer NOT AT ALL. Two burner stove and a BBQ grill is all we need.

With that said let me be clear about our sailing mantra. KISS.
The other is, "If it's NOT on board it can't break and ruin all the fun".

You'll most likely find that we are in the minority.

[Vasco]

Actually I just remembered even a stove isn't necessary. A cruising couple we know is on a raw food diet. No cooked food and no hot drinks. Nothing over room temperature. They saved a lot on propane.

[Weyalan]

Literally the first thing I replaced on Insatiable was the old stove, which was pretty beat-up and the oven didn't work. The oven is vital for me. Baking bread, roasting legs of lamb, baking potatoes. I possibly could live without it, but why should I?